That Old Ace in the Hole

That Old Ace in the Hole
Annie Proulx

The brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, author of THE SHIPPING NEWS. A richly textured story of one man's struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor wit and a masterly sense of place.'An absolute corker of a novel which manages the dual feat of being a serious satire on the evils of global capitalism, and a personal comedy of Dickensian dimensions.' A N Wilson, Daily TelegraphSome folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar, the newly-hired hog site scout for Global Pork Rind, intends to do his job. Bob must contend with tough men and women like ancient Freda Beautyrooms who controls a ranch he covets, and Ace Crouch, the windmiller who defies the hog farms. As Bob settles in at La Von Fronk's bunkhouse and lends a hand at Cy Frease's Old Dog Café, he is forced to question everything.'Proulx's own ace in the hole is her brilliance at evoking place and landscape. She sets about drawing the vast distances and parched flatlands of Texas with almost immeasurable skill.' Alex Clark, Guardian'Amusing, intriguing and disturbing.' Mark Sanderson, Independent on Sunday'A kind-hearted and intelligent novel.' Daily Telegraph'Proulx has a first class eye and ear.' Adam Mars-Jones, Observer'Brilliantly written.' Peter Kemp, Sunday Times'Funny and heartfelt.' Scotsman

Annie Proulx

THAT OLD ACE IN THE HOLE

A Novel

COPYRIGHT (#ulink_b3edacf9-d4fe-5f60-88b2-2dd753ab02ba)

Fourth Estate

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.4thestate.co.uk (http://www.4thestate.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain in 2002 by Fourth Estate

Copyright © Dead Line Ltd, 2002

The right of Annie Proulx to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Ebook Edition © JUNE 2012 ISBN 9780007383894

Version 2016-06-13

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it arc the work of the author’s imagination Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

DEDICATION (#ulink_4bec604e-133a-5576-8c1d-d89bde164881)

Alle molens vangen wind

CONTENTS

Cover (#ue32d1d0f-fa6b-5544-bf76-55ef899ea8ea)

Title Page (#uc451d0b4-5895-5d8d-9da6-eaeb26bf1d8a)

Copyright (#u3e0b3629-09a0-5fd5-8478-a25189f19913)

Dedication (#u9895fb2b-fcf8-51cb-920d-4b2aed99b91b)

1. Global Pork Rind (#uec2cf853-6b1a-55e9-ba66-2672d561637c)

2. Art Plastic (#ubdbd547f-f512-5c22-aa2e-e9c1a9c9d0dc)

3. On the Road Again (#ub54189de-ec51-55dd-b4b1-688e393b8084)

4. The Evil Fat Boy (#ucaff5c16-5295-5bb2-998d-4ee7690d0d99)

5. No Room in Cowboy Rose (#u3880c745-c0f5-53c6-a7ae-fe4b8f45fe5d)

6. Sheriff Hugh Dough (#u71165231-b6d9-573a-bb05-62a037cf0c35)

7. The Rural Compendium (#u13746dd2-68d0-5a4e-a5dd-c1ca8f1519fd)

8. Pioneer Fronk (#u35cbed30-0614-5e05-a3fa-af31796f73d3)

9. The Busted Star (#ud48cd4b1-a15d-50f2-a302-438188b04190)

10. Old Dog (#litres_trial_promo)

11. Tater Crouch (#litres_trial_promo)

12. Rope Butt (#litres_trial_promo)

13. Habakuk’s Luck (#litres_trial_promo)

14. The Young Couple (#litres_trial_promo)

15. Abel and Cain (#litres_trial_promo)

16. Curiosity Killed the Cat (#litres_trial_promo)

17. The Devil’s Hatband (#litres_trial_promo)

18. Just a Few Questions (#litres_trial_promo)

19. The Sheriff’s Office (#litres_trial_promo)

20. Everything’s O.K. So Far (#litres_trial_promo)

21. Triple Cross (#litres_trial_promo)

22. Ribeye Writes (#litres_trial_promo)

23. Rich Orlando (#litres_trial_promo)

24. Violet’s Night on the Town (#litres_trial_promo)

25. Top Sales (#litres_trial_promo)